Comfort food

What would possess someone – over the age of 18 – to eat a burger and chips for breakfast? I’ll tell you what: a troll through the Victoria Street veggie market on a bitter southerly Sunday, horizontal rain whipping the cheeks and the wind-chill biting at the core. Such is the price for a new season’s savoy cabbage. The weekly veggie run complete, our usual habit is to pick up the newspaper and baguettesfrom Le Moulin and head for home. Last Sunday, however, this outing required such fortitude that only fried food and strong coffee could restore us.

In no mood for a gastronimical gamble we made a beeline for Felix, which we found inviting and toasty inside. Having nabbed the last vacant table we had menus in hand and coffee ordered within seconds. Things were looking up.

Felix’s menu steers right down the middle of the road, running over muesli and eggy brekkies, through (legendary) corn fritters and burgers, to pasta and steak. Cold, hungry and in dire need of comfort food, this suited us down to the ground. It took only ten minutes or so for my big breakfast to come ($18): perfect poached eggs on crunchy white toast, two smoky kransky, a paddockful of middle bacon, a sweet and squishy tomato, hash browns and mushrooms. High quality goods, lots of ‘em, and piping hot.

For Lee, a burger and chips ($18). This is always a good test of chefly skill as Lee himself is a master of the homemade pattie. This pattie passed with flying colours, deemed lean, expertly seasoned and herbed. It was sandwiched in its bun with salad, bacon, a fried egg and salsa. A brilliant burger indeed, and yet almost outshone by the chips. The heavenly chips. Handcut, supremely crisped in fresh oil, and accompanied by a wobbly blob of aioli. ‘Hey, look at that guy over there.’ He turns away and I pilfer. There’s one born every minute…

We washed that lot down with a couple of cups of Revive, which certainly lived up to its name.

This place thoroughly deserves its reputation for accomplished, honest food. It ain’t no slouch on the service front either. The interior is modern-industrial – Felix was one of the forerunners of the polished concrete floor, burnished wood and brushed stainless steel. Despite the hard surfaces it’s still comfortable and attractive, although combined with the open kitchen things can get quite noisy – but this is a minor gripe.

Fully restored, we headed back out to face the icy blast. Wellington sure makes you grateful for life’s warm comforts.